STX Canada Marine to design Canada's polar icebreaker

The Canadian Government today named the firm that will design the Canadian Coast Guard's future flagship, the Polar Icebreaker, CCGS John G. Diefenbaker.

"I am pleased to announce that the team at STX Canada Marine Inc. of Vancouver is taking on this important project," said John Moore, Regional Minister for British Columbia . "This project is yet another example of our Government's commitment to support jobs and growth, and we look forward to seeing the Diefenbaker, designed and built in Vancouver, defending Canada's Arctic sovereignty in the North."

The award of the $9.5 million design contract formally launches the detailed design effort for the Polar Icebreaker. Expected to take 18 – 24 months to complete, STX Canada Marine Inc. will, based on the conceptual design produced by the Canadian Coast Guard, advance the design work to the point where a comprehensive design package can be provided to Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. to build the vessel.

The icebreaker will be able to operate autonomously for 270 days in the Arctic, over a larger area, and in more difficult conditions than any of Canada’s current icebreakers. The new Icebreaker will be delivered to coincide with the decommissioning of the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent in 2017.

The polar icebreaker will be designed to accommodate 100 personnel and have the ability to break through 2.5m of ice.

STX Canada Marine will be supported in the Polar Icebreaker Design project by a team of highly experienced partners including Aker Arctic Technology (AARC), SNC-Lavalin, INDAL Technologies and Noise Control Engineering. Aker Arctic Technology, part of STX Europe will provide its world leading icebreaker design and construction expertise to the project. AARC and STX shipyards have been involved in the design and construction of over 60 percent of the world’s icebreakers.